Editing Major-General's Song (section)

==In popular culture==
{{main|Cultural influence of Gilbert and Sullivan}}

===Film references===
[[File:Modern Major General, Bab.png|thumb|upright|The Major-General carries an encyclopedia in this [[Bab Ballads|"Bab"]] drawing by [[W. S. Gilbert]].]]
''[[The Pirate Movie]]'', a 1982 modern musical parody of ''[[The Pirates of Penzance]]'', features many songs from the opera, including this song. Contemporary references were introduced, as when the Major-General adds to the song "Man, I'm older than [[The Beatles]], but I'm younger than [[The Rolling Stones]]." In the 1983 film ''[[Never Cry Wolf (film)|Never Cry Wolf]]'', the hero sings the song.<ref>{{cite news |last=Gleiberman |first=Owen |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1959&dat=19831108&id=i30hAAAAIBAJ&sjid=r4oFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3763,892491 |title=Call of the Wild, Section 3 (Arts) |newspaper=[[The Phoenix (newspaper)|The Boston Phoenix]] |date=8 November 1983 |pages=1, 10 |access-date=23 August 2012}}</ref> Similarly, in the 2001 time-travel comedy ''[[Kate & Leopold]]'', Leopold sings the song; however, the scene is anachronistic in that ''[[The Pirates of Penzance]]'' premiered in 1879, ''after'' Leopold had already left his own time of 1876.<ref>Bradley (2005), p. 12</ref> The lead characters of the 2015 film ''[[Those People]]'' sing along to the song in duelling fashion.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Rooney |first1=David |title=''Those People'': Provincetown Review |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/people-provincetown-review-804625 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |date=23 June 2015 |access-date=4 April 2024}}</ref> A nonsense [[pastiche]] of the song in the 2017 film ''[[Despicable Me 3]]'', sung by [[Minions (Despicable Me)|Minions]], was termed "amusing"<ref>Marsh, Calum. [https://nationalpost.com/entertainment/movies/resistance-is-futile-why-the-ubiquity-of-the-minions-cannot-and-will-never-be-contained "Resistance is futile: Why the ubiquity of the Minions cannot (and will never) be contained"], ''[[National Post]]'', 29 June 2017</ref> and "the film’s finest moment";<ref>Prigge, Matt. [https://www.metro.us/despicable-me-3-finds-a-loopy-series-finally-running-out-of-gas "''Despicable Me 3'' finds a loopy series finally running out of gas"], ''Metro'', 26 June 2017</ref> it was uploaded to YouTube by [[Illumination (company)|Illumination Entertainment]] as a singalong challenge, which has garnered more than 19 million views as of 2023.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwgTtwJHoWQ "#DespicableMeChallenge – In Theaters June 30"], YouTube, [[Illumination Entertainment]], 4 July 2019</ref>

===Television references===
The song, or parts of it, has been sung in numerous television programs.<ref name=Popisms>[http://www.popisms.com/Song/39739/The-Modern-Major-Generals-Song-1879-by-Gil.aspx "The Modern Major-General's Song (1879) by Gilbert and Sullivan"], Popisms.com, accessed 10 September 2016</ref> For example, ''[[The Muppet Show]]'' (season 3, episode 52) staged a duet of the song with guest host [[Gilda Radner]] and a {{convert|7|ft|m|adj=mid|-tall}} talking carrot. Radner had requested a seven-foot-tall talking ''parrot'', but [[Kermit the Frog|Kermit]] had difficulty reading her handwriting.<ref>{{cite episode |url= http://www.tv.com/the-muppet-show/gilda-radner/episode/176733/summary.html?tag=ep_list;ep_title;12 |series= The Muppet Show |title=The Muppet Show: Gilda Radner |season=3 |number=13 |access-date=9 February 2009|work=[[TV.com]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]]}}</ref> In a short cutaway from the 2012 ''[[Family Guy]]'' episode "[[Killer Queen (Family Guy)|Killer Queen]]", Peter plays the Major-General in a community theater production and mumbles all through the opening verse of the song.<ref>Pierson, Robin. {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20140329003847/http://www.thetvcritic.org/reviews/comedies/family-guy/season-77/killer-queen/ "Episode 16 – 'Killer Queen'"]}}, ''The TV Critic'', March 21, 2012, accessed August 29, 2013</ref> The 2003 [[VeggieTales]] cartoon episode ''[[The Wonderful World of Auto-Tainment!]]'' features Archibald Asparagus singing the first verse of the song.<ref>[http://ringostrack.com/en/movie/veggietales-the-wonderful-world-of-autotainment/53943 "''VeggieTales: The Wonderful World of Autotainment'' Soundtrack (2004) OST"], Ringostrack.com, accessed 10 September 2016; and [https://www.ovguide.com/tv_episode/veggietales-season-1-episode-15-the-wonderful-world-of-autotainment-385279 "VeggieTales Season 1 Episode 15 S1E15 ''The Wonderful World of Auto-Tainment!''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160916121635/https://www.ovguide.com/tv_episode/veggietales-season-1-episode-15-the-wonderful-world-of-autotainment-385279 |date=2016-09-16 }}, OVguide, accessed 10 September 2016</ref> In Season 2, Episode 13 of [[USA Network]] series ''[[In Plain Sight]]'', "Let's Get It Ahn", [[United States Federal Witness Protection Program|WITSEC]] workers, Mary and Eleanor, sing along to the song while listening to it being played as hold music.<ref name=Popisms/> In a Season 3 episode of ''[[Home Improvement (TV series)|Home Improvement]]'', "Room for Change" (1994), [[Al Borland]], believing that he is in a sound-proof booth, belts out the first stanza but is heard by everyone.<ref>Taylor, Duncan. [http://www.hiarchive.co.uk/index.php?content=script&s=3&e=17 "Room for Change"], Home Improvement Archive, 1 July 2007, accessed 10 September 2016</ref>

Other examples of television renditions of the song include the ''[[Babylon 5]]'' episode "[[Atonement (Babylon 5)|Atonement]]", sung by [[Marcus Cole (Babylon 5)|Marcus Cole]] to irritate fellow passenger [[Stephen Franklin (Babylon 5)|Dr. Franklin]];<ref name=GSVLOC>[http://gsvloc.org/gilbert-sullivan-resources/gilbert-sullivan-in-popular-culture/the-pirates-of-penzance ''The Pirates of Penzance''], The Gilbert and Sullivan Very Light Opera Company, accessed 10 September 2016</ref> ''[[The Wind in the Willows (TV series)|The Wind in the Willows]]'' episode "A Producer's Lot" (Series 3, Episode 11) sung by Mole ([[Richard Pearson (actor)|Richard Pearson]]);<ref name=Popisms/> the ''[[Married... with Children]]'' episode "Peggy and the Pirates" (Season 7, Episode 18);<ref name=Popisms/> the ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'' episode "[[Disaster (Star Trek: The Next Generation)|Disaster]]"<ref name=GSVLOC/> and the ''[[Star Trek: Short Treks]]'' episode "Q&A";<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/michael-chabon-explains-his-new-star-trek-shorts-connections-to-the-next-generation-and|title=Michael Chabon Explains His New Start Trek Short's Connections to ''The Next Generation'' and Picard|last=Britt|first=Ryan|date=October 14, 2019|website=syfywire|access-date=November 13, 2019}}</ref> two episodes of ''[[Frasier]]'', including "[[Fathers and Sons (Frasier episode)|Fathers and Sons]]", where [[Martin Crane|Martin]] joins in the song, singing, "With many awful facts about the scary [[hippopotamus]]!";<ref name=GSVLOC/> the ''[[Mad About You]]'' episode "Moody Blues" (Season 6, Episode 5);<ref name=GSVLOC/> and the "[[Deep Space Homer]]" episode of ''[[The Simpsons]]''.<ref name=Popisms/> Sometimes the song is used in an audition situation. For example, in the ''[[Two and a Half Men]]'' episode "And the Plot Moistens" (Season 3, Episode 21), Alan sings the first verse of the song to persuade Jake to join the school musical.<ref name=Popisms/> Similarly, in season 2 of ''[[Slings and Arrows|Slings & Arrows]]'', Richard Smith-Jones uses the song to audition for the festival's musical. In the pilot episode of ''[[90210 (TV series)|90210]]'', Annie Wilson sings the beginning of the song in a flash back of her old school performance.<ref name=Popisms/> In the first episode of the 2020 British miniseries ''[[Quiz (TV series)|Quiz]]'', about the [[Charles Ingram]] cheating scandal, Ingram and another Army officer sing the Major-General's Song.<ref>Keller, Joel. [https://decider.com/2020/06/01/quiz-amc-stream-it-or-skip-it/ "Stream It Or Skip It: ''Quiz'' On AMC, a Miniseries About Britain’s ''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?'' Cheating Scandal "], ''[[Decider (website)|Decider.com]]'', 1 June 2020</ref>

Parodies or pastiches of the song have been sung in a number of television programs. For example, the animated series ''[[ReBoot]]'' ended the series ([[List of ReBoot episodes|Episode 39: "End Prog"]]) with a recap of the entire show's plot, set to the song's tune. The ''[[Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip]]'' episode "The Cold Open" (2006), the cast of ''Studio 60'' opens with a parody: "We'll be the very model of a modern network TV show; we hope that you don't mind that our producer was caught doing [[Cocaine|blow]]".<ref>{{cite web| last=Kois| first= Dan| url=http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2006/10/can_studio_60_be_saved.html |title=Can Studio 60 Be Saved? |publisher= Slate.com| date=23 October 2006 |access-date=7 May 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Schillinger |first=Liesl |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/22/theater/22schi.html |title=Dress British, Sing Yiddish |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=22 October 2006 |access-date=5 May 2012}}</ref> In ''[[Doctor Who and the Pirates]]'', the [[The Doctor (Doctor Who)|Doctor]] (played by [[Colin Baker]]) sings, "I am the very model of a [[Gallifrey]]an buccaneer".<ref>Horakova, Erin. [https://www.tor.com/2012/06/01/big-finish-produces-doctor-who-audio-plays-with-brains-heart-and-humor "Big Finish Produces Doctor Who Audio Plays with Brains, Heart and Humor"], ''[[Tor.com]]'', June 1, 2012; and Baldock, James. [https://metro.co.uk/2016/06/08/happy-birthday-to-doctor-whos-colin-baker-11-reasons-the-sixth-doctor-is-underrated-5931333 "Happy Birthday to Doctor Who’s Colin Baker: 11 reasons the Sixth Doctor is underrated"], ''[[Metro (British newspaper)|Metro]]'', 8 June 2016</ref> Other songs, from ''Pirates'', ''Pinafore'' and ''[[Ruddigore]]'', are parodied. When he hosted ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'', [[David Hyde Pierce]]'s monologue was a parody of the song.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://snltranscripts.jt.org/94/94kmono.phtml |title=David Hyde Pierce's Monologue |publisher=SNL Transcripts |access-date=15 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320074805/http://snltranscripts.jt.org/94/94kmono.phtml |archive-date=20 March 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In the ''[[Animaniacs]]'' short "H.M.S. Yakko", Yakko sings "I Am the Very Model of a Cartoon Individual".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://theflatlandalmanack.typepad.com/the_flatland_chronicles/2008/01/the-animaniacs.html |title=The Animaniacs Perform 'The HMS Yakko' |publisher=The Flatland Chronicles |date=20 January 2008 |access-date=7 May 2012}}</ref> In the ''[[Scrubs (TV series)|Scrubs]]'' episode "[[My Musical]]", the song is parodied in "The Rant Song" sung by Dr. Cox.<ref>{{cite podcast |url=http://www.nbc.com/Scrubs/podcast/nbc_scr_podcast_606_20070118.mp3 |title=My Musical: Commentary. |publisher=NBC |host=[[Sarah Chalke]] and [[Debra Fordham]] |date=January 18, 2007 |access-date=2007-01-24 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070204041602/http://www.nbc.com/Scrubs/podcast/nbc_scr_podcast_606_20070118.mp3 |archive-date=February 4, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Dyess-Nugent |first1=Phil |title=Scrubs took its time to make a musical episode, but made it count |url=https://www.avclub.com/scrubs-took-its-time-to-make-a-musical-episode-but-mad-1798237546 |website=The AV Club|date=17 April 2013|access-date=15 March 2018}}</ref> In a 2011 [[GEICO]] commercial, a couple that wants to save money, but still listen to musicals, finds a roommate, dressed as the Major-General, who awkwardly begins the song while dancing on a coffee table.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.popisms.com/TelevisionCommercial/39770/GEICO-Commercial-2011.aspx |title=GEICO Commercial (2011) |publisher=popisms.com |access-date=27 August 2012}}</ref>

===Other parodies and pastiches===
The song has been widely parodied and pastiched,<ref>{{cite video |editor-last=Zetland |editor-first=Earl |url=https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL81E47F8C9314A1D7 |title=Modern Major-General Parodies |publisher=YouTube |access-date=7 May 2012}}</ref> including by [[Tom Lehrer]]'s "[[The Elements (song)|Elements Song]]", "The Unix Sysadmin Song", written for the book ''The Unix Companion'' by Harley Hahn, which replaces the military references with [[Unix]] trivia,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.harley.com/harley-quotes/unix-sysadmin.html |title=The Unix Sysadmin Song |access-date=7 May 2012 |last=Hahn |first=Harley |year=1999}}</ref> and "Every Major's Terrible", featured in comic No. 1052 on the webcomic ''[[xkcd]]'' in 2012.<ref>Munroe, Randall. [http://xkcd.com/1052/ "Every Major's Terrible"], ''xkcd'', 7 May 2012</ref> This comic then became the subject of numerous musical adaptations.<ref>[http://www.uproxx.com/gammasquad/2012/08/ben-miller-xkcd-every-majors-terrible/ "xkcd's 'Every Major's Terrible' Is Now a Real Song"], Uproxx.com, 20 August 2012</ref> "The Elements" inspired the "Boy Scout Merit Badge Song", listing all the [[Merit badge (Boy Scouts of America)|merit badges]] that can be earned from the [[Boy Scouts of America]].<ref>{{Cite video |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_-nCH3tX1U |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/M_-nCH3tX1U| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|title=Boy Scout Merit Badge Song |publisher=[[YouTube]] |access-date=18 November 2011}}{{cbignore}}</ref> In the video games ''[[Mass Effect 2]]'' and ''[[Mass Effect 3]]'', the character [[Mordin Solus|Dr. Mordin Solus]] sings a short pastiche version ("I Am the Very Model of a Scientist Salarian").<ref>Graff, Michael. [https://screenrant.com/mass-effect-secret-moments-you-definitely-missed "Mass Effect: Secret Moments You Definitely Missed"], ScreenRant.com, May 0, 2017</ref>

On the last night of [[BBC Proms|The Proms]] in 2000, the outgoing conductor, [[Andrew Davis (conductor)|Sir Andrew Davis]], sang a pastiche of the song celebrating the festival.<ref>{{cite news |first=James R |last=Oestreich |title=A Model Festival for London. But for New York? |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=24 September 2000 |access-date=9 February 2009 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/09/24/arts/music-a-model-festival-for-london-but-for-new-york.html}}</ref> When [[Derek Pattinson]] retired as Secretary-General of the [[General Synod|General Synod of the Church of England]] in 1990, a choir sang a variation on the Major-General's Song, with the line "He was the very model of a Secretary-General", in a meeting of the General Synod.<ref>{{cite news |title=The Rev Sir Derek Pattinson |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1531374/The-Rev-Sir-Derek-Pattinson.html |department=Obituaries |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=14 October 2006 |access-date=9 February 2009}}</ref> In 2010, a parody version of the song was posted as an op-ed piece in the ''[[Richmond Times-Dispatch]]'' mocking actions of the [[Attorney General of Virginia]], [[Ken Cuccinelli]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Hinkle |first=A. Barton |url=http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/op_ed/article/ED-HINKLE7_20100506-183803/342617/ |title=Hinkle: The Attorney General's Song |department=Op-Ed |newspaper=[[Richmond Times-Dispatch]] |date=7 May 2010 |access-date=7 May 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20100531153112/http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/op_ed/article/ED-HINKLE7_20100506-183803/342617/ |archive-date=31 May 2010 }}</ref> In 2010, [[Ron Butler]] released a YouTube video pastiche of the song, in character as [[Barack Obama|President Obama]], that received more than 1.8 million views.<ref>{{cite video |last=Butler |first=Ron |title=Obama! A Modern U.S. President (musical spoof) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y54FRMedT_s  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/y54FRMedT_s| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|publisher=[[YouTube]] |date=11 October 2010| access-date=7 May 2012}}{{cbignore}}</ref> A 2015 YouTube parody satirizing county clerk [[Kim Davis]] called "The Modern Fundamentalist" was distributed by media outlets.<ref>[http://www.queerty.com/finally-the-kim-davis-musical-parody-weve-all-been-waiting-for-20150929 "Finally! The Kim Davis Musical Parody We’ve All Been Waiting For"], Queerty, 29 September 2015</ref>

The character [[George Washington]], in the song "Right Hand Man" from the 2015 musical ''[[Hamilton (musical)|Hamilton]]'' by [[Lin-Manuel Miranda]], refers to himself with irony as "The model of a modern major-general", which he rhymes with "men are all" and "pedestal". Miranda commented: "I always felt like 'mineral' wasn't the best possible rhyme."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Mead |first1=Rebecca |title=All About the Hamiltons |url=http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/02/09/hamiltons |work=[[The New Yorker]] |access-date=2 December 2015}}</ref> [[Stephen Colbert]] opined that some verses of "[[Acid Rap|Favorite Song]]" by rap artist [[Chance the Rapper]] (featuring [[Donald Glover|Childish Gambino]]), utilize the same rhythm as the Major-General's Song.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Colbert |first1=Stephen |title=See Stephen Colbert Break Down Chance the Rapper’s 'Favorite Song' (feat. Childish Gambino) |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/stephen-colbert-breakdown-chance-the-rapper-childish-gambino-favorite-song-716865 |website=Rolling Stone |format=Video |date=22 September 2018}}</ref> [[Randy Rainbow]] released a parody of the song in 2018 titled "A Very Stable Genius", which lampoons [[Donald Trump]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Dicker |first=Ron |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/randy-rainbow-pirates-of-penzance-donald-trump_n_5b4dcbb5e4b0b15aba885450 |title=Randy Rainbow Goes All ''Pirates of Penzance'' on Trump's Putin Loyalty |website=Huffington Post |date=July 17, 2018 |access-date=October 30, 2019}}</ref>